Political Cartoons

Mike Peters' Nov. 14 cartoon depicting a woman soldier on the verge of being raped by two male soldiers as one said, "Don't ask, don't tell," was beyond offensive. Placing it under the heading "Another perspective" made no sense. What other perspective? Political cartoons are used to satirize current events. I saw no satire in this cartoon. It simply illustrated a disgusting reality.

Joe Fournier's cartoon, "Suspended Campaigning" (Perspective, Nov. 1), is demeaning, but perhaps it demeans the Tribune and Fournier more than it demeans President Barack Obama. N.J. Gov. Chris Christie didn't think the president was being a showman when Christie praised his immediate and welcome offers of assistance. Should the president merely have flown in Air Force One over the areas so hard hit? Would you have preferred him to have continued campaigning, as Romney did yesterday?

After 72 years, new data offers insights into the state of the country after the Great Depression on the eve of World War II On Monday, the Census Bureau released the 1940 United States Census records on their website, offering insights into the state of the country after the Great Depression on the eve of World War II. By law, the Census Bureau must wait 72 years before releasing census data to the public, and the newly released information provides...

A Pew Research study released Wednesday shows a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan is no longer a move only favored by Democrats. Pew says for the first time ever, more Republicans embrace removing troops from Afghanistan than support staying in the country until it stabilizes. [See a collection of political cartoons on Afghanistan .] Americans have not viewed the war effort as this unsuccessful since 2009. One month ago, a majority of...

In recent weeks people of Serbian background living in Chicago have protested in front of the Tribune building several times, objecting to a cartoon in the Tribune which suggested that Serbians were "outhouse pigs" for the actions of Serbian militias in Bosnia. I agree that the cartoon was too sweeping in its condemnation-it does a particular disservice to the memory of Serbs who have died trying to aid their Muslim neighbors. But that is the nature of political cartoons. If the people protesting...

At some hypothetical point in the distant past, someone decided that taking a perfectly useful bell off of a cow and bringing it to sporting events, band practice and political rallies was a good idea. The cowbell trade eventually came to largely bypass cattle altogether, as cowbells are now bought, sold and used to make noise during various unrelated activities ranging from football games to Blue Ãyster Cult concerts . [ See the latest political cartoons. ] ...

The Democratic Party is full of communists, says U.S. Rep. Allen West of Florida, a Tea Party favorite and sole Republican member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Unless you talk to the American Communist Party itself. [See the latest political cartoons .] At a Tuesday town hall meeting in Palm City, Fla., West said that he believes there are "about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party." The comments...

The DNC calls on Romney to denounce controversial remarks made by Nugent at an NRA convention As Rebekah Metzler reports, Democrats are attacking Mitt Romney over remarks made by musician and gun enthusiast Ted Nugent, who has endorsed Romney, during a radio interview at a recent National Rifle Association event. Nugent called President Obama and members of his administration "criminals" and promised that if Obama is re-elected, "I will either be dead or in jail." He also...

If you`ve got the money, you can buy a Jeff MacNelly, a Dick Locher, a Jack Higgins, a Paul Conrad, a Pat Oliphant, a Herblock . . . the list goes on and on. They`re all for sale to the highest bidder. Many of the 120 political cartoonists taking part, 16 Pulitzer Prize winners among them, have donated several originals. Originals of political cartoons are potentially valuable art. Why else would Ronald Reagan have collected five Lochers? Why else would Richard Nixon have a secret cache of...

WikiLeaks founder talks Israel, Syria, rockets with Hassan Nasrallah, head of terrorist group Julian Assange, the founder and editor-in-chief of the controversial whistleblowing site WikiLeaks, has been under house arrest in the English countryside for over a year and a half, but that has not stopped him from stirring up political controversy. On Tuesday, Assange's new talk show, TheWorld Tomorrow, debuted with an interview with Hassan Nasrallah , secretary...

Political cartoons have their place in pointing out contradictions and graphically portraying ironies of life. However, the April 24 cartoon with the large sign "Life is Sacred" does so with a great distortion of truth and an insult to clergy and to those who pray. Pro-life demonstrators have never been reported to "throw dead fetuses" at anyone, but simply attempt to get prospective abortion patients to see what it is they will be killing. It is no different than displaying the brain of a deceased alcoholic or...

The Obama Administration took swift action against the General Services Administration for its excessive frill-filled conference reaffirming that there is no place for clowns and mind readers in official government business. But an anonymous source provided numbers to the news outlet Politico last week, floating the idea that the opulence of the GSA Western Region Conference had its roots in the Bush administration. The source turned...

At some hypothetical point in the distant past, someone decided that taking a perfectly useful bell off of a cow and bringing it to sporting events, band practice and political rallies was a good idea. The cowbell trade eventually came to largely bypass cattle altogether, as cowbells are now bought, sold and used to make noise during various unrelated activities ranging from football games to Blue Ãyster Cult concerts . [ See the latest political cartoons. ] ...

The Democratic Party is full of communists, says U.S. Rep. Allen West of Florida, a Tea Party favorite and sole Republican member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Unless you talk to the American Communist Party itself. [See the latest political cartoons .] At a Tuesday town hall meeting in Palm City, Fla., West said that he believes there are "about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party." The comments...

Original wood engravings by artist Barry Moser will be on display from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday in Libertyville. The exhibit titled "Barry Moser: Original Wood Engravings for Classic Children's Literature," will feature illustrations from "Alice in Wonderland," "Through the Looking Glass," "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Frankenstein." One of America's premier wood engravers, Moser is also a printmaker, illustrator...

A lot has changed in the 87 years since the Scopes Monkey Trial, the landmark case that drew national attention to the creation-evolution controversy. In that trial, a Tennessee jury found schoolteacher John Scopes guilty of teaching evolution in a state-funded school. Teaching evolution is perfectly acceptable practice today, but lawmakers in Tennessee are again wading into the debate between science and religion. [See the latest political cartoons .] On...

Public editor Don Wycliff identified deputy Editorial page editor John McCormick as one of the people who selected for publication on May 30 a political cartoon concerning the road map to peace in the Middle East ("When a cartoon offends readers," Commentary, June 1). McCormick is the pinnacle of the journalism profession. I first became acquainted with McCormick when I was chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. attorney's office. McCormick is universally respected and trusted by prosecutors and defense...

Higher gas prices, warmer weather, and an early Easter all contributed to a spending spike in March Warmer weather and an earlier Easter triggered a spending spree in March, according to recent data, as more-confident consumers stocked up on Easter candy and started their spring and summer landscaping projects earlier. Americans spent about $74 a day on average in March, up sharply from $63 in February and 16 percent above levels seen a year ago, according to...

Recent polls show Barack Obama growing his lead over Mitt Romney among swing state female voters A recent USA Today/Gallup poll shows that Obama's lead among women is growing. He bests former Gov. Mitt Romney, the front-running GOP presidential candidate, 54 to 36 percent among women in the dozen swing states on which the poll focuses. The president's popularity among women secures his overall advantage over Romney, carrying 51 percent of general voters to Romney's 42 percent in those...

Citizens United and super PACs have had an ugly effect on this election, but they may be the evil of two lessers Big money is having a powerfully different effect on this year's national election campaign. We've seen it in the extraordinary oscillations of the Republican primaries, largely brought about by millions of dollars of television attack ads, financed not by the opposing campaigns so much as by groups outside the parties that can say whatever they want...